UK firm offers to repair RP’s C-130 planes

A United Kingdom-based aerospace design firm has renewed its offer to the government for the in-house repair and maintenance of the Philippine Air Force’s fleet of C-130 cargo and transport planes.

Michael Milne of the Marshall Aerospace in Cambridge, England also informed President Arroyo that a memorandum of agreement (MOA) for the repair and maintenance of the planes was forged on Dec. 12, 1997 with then Defense Secretary Fortunato Abat.

The MOA calls for Marshall Aerospace to conduct an in-country Programmed Depot Maintenance (PDM) for the PAF’s C-130 cargo and transport planes. This MOA was put on the back burner after ousted President Joseph Estrada assumed the presidency.

Milne told the President, who is concurrently handling the defense portfolio, that the agreement between Marshall and the defense department is "beneficial to the Philippines, since it would cause the transfer of technology and equipment and contribute greatly to PAF’s bid to build its own aircraft in the future."

Marshall Aerospace, Milne said, intends to build a huge maintenance depot for C-130 aircraft at Mactan Air Base in Cebu.

The project, he said, was begun via a P30-million special fund allocation for the tooling and extension of the Cebu military base during Abat’s tenure as defense chief. However, the project was discontinued after Estrada assumed the presidency.

The PAF now has nine C-130 planes. Only two of these nine planes are airworthy after they were put through multimillion-dollar repair and maintenance checks in Malaysia and Singapore.

Milne cited the primary purpose of the Marshall-defense department agreement as one that seeks to achieve the three-phase self-reliance program that will allow the transfer of technical know-how and technology to the PAF so it can conduct its own PDMs in the future.

Milne also informed Mrs. Arroyo that Marshall Aerospace has standing agreements with the Kingdom of Jordan and Thailand for the conduct of periodic depot maintenance checks of their C-130 planes.

"In addition to undertaking support to Jordan’s own C-130 fleet, we have attracted overseas operators, which in itself attracted foreign investments into their country," Milne said, adding that Marshall Aerospace stands ready to support the PAF if the MOA is activated.

The establishment of an in-country PDM for the Philippines could translate into multi-million peso maintenance savings for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) "as it would no longer be necessary for the PAF fleet to be serviced in other countries," Milne said.

Each C-130 plane must undergo PDM every five years or 5,000 flying hours, whichever comes first.

The PAF has been spending millions of dollars for the C-130 maintenance checks involving airframe and wing integrity checks, de-painting and repainting of aircraft interiors, refurbishing of cabin interiors and the upgrading of communication and navigation equipment.

One of the world’s largest privately owned aerospace firms, Marshall Aerospace specializes in the overhaul and modification of civilian and military aircraft worldwide.

Since 1996, Marshall Aerospace has also been servicing the UK’s Royal Air Force (RAF) fleet of C-130 Hercules aircraft and is an aircraft manufacturer authorized by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. It has all the skills needed for aircraft maintenance, including expertise in design and parts manufacture.